Editing Inquisition (section)

===Inquisition in Medieval Spain===
Portugal and Spain in the late Middle Ages consisted largely of multicultural territories of Muslim and Jewish influence, reconquered from [[Al-Andalus|Islamic control]], and the new Christian authorities could not assume that all their subjects would suddenly become and remain orthodox Catholics. So the Inquisition in [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]], in the lands of the [[Reconquista]] counties and kingdoms like [[Kingdom of León|León]], [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]], and [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]], had a special socio-political basis as well as more fundamental religious motives.<ref name=secrets/>

In some parts of Spain towards the end of the 14th century, there was a wave of violent [[anti-Judaism]], encouraged by the preaching of [[Ferrand Martínez]], [[Archdeacon]] of [[Écija]]. In the [[pogrom]]s of June [[Massacre of 1391|1391]] in [[Seville]], hundreds of Jews were killed, and the [[synagogue]] was completely destroyed. The number of people killed was also high in other cities, such as [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Valencia]], and Barcelona.<ref>[[Henry Kamen|Kamen]], ''Spanish Inquisition'', p. 17. Kamen cites approximate numbers for Valencia (250) and Barcelona (400), but no solid data about Córdoba.</ref>

One of the consequences of these pogroms was the mass conversion of thousands of surviving Jews. Forced baptism was contrary to the law of the Catholic Church, and theoretically anybody who had been forcibly baptized could legally return to Judaism. However, this was very narrowly interpreted. Legal definitions of the time theoretically acknowledged that a forced baptism was not a valid sacrament, but confined this to cases where it was literally administered by physical force. A person who had consented to baptism under threat of death or serious injury was still regarded as a voluntary convert, and accordingly forbidden to revert to Judaism.<ref>[[Raymond of Peñafort]], ''Summa'', lib. 1 p.33, citing D.45 c.5.</ref> After the public violence, many of the converted "felt it safer to remain in their new religion".<ref>[[Henry Kamen|Kamen]], ''Spanish Inquisition'', p. 10.</ref> Thus, after 1391, a new social group appeared and were referred to as ''[[converso]]s'' or ''New Christians''.
[[File:Inquisición española.svg|thumb|Emblem of the Spanish Inquisition (1571). The olive branch symbolizes grace and the sword symbolizes punishment.  The inscription in Latin means: "Arise, Lord, and judge your cause"]]